Good Lord Faye

This won’t be an academic paper, I promise. So don’t let the title throw you off – the key point of this short post will be to highlight that shaming people into changing how they shop and consume clothing is not *the* most effective strategy, in my humble opinion. I want someone who is engaging with my content to feel empowered and educated, instead of frustrated, lost, and, yes, ashamed of their buying habits.

So, how do we achieve that? How do we inspire people without turning them away from positive behaviors and actions that they might perceive as out of their reach? How do we get them interested without making them feel like fingers are being pointed directly at them?

How do we talk about sustainability without making everyone feel like scheissig rubbish?

I don’t have all the answers, but I do have some thoughts.

The way I see it: we can get places by setting examples, and sharing examples. By showcasing good actions and explaining what makes them positively impactful. We do the opposite of gatekeeping and we tell others about the people and communities that inspire us, the places we like to shop and support, and the changes we’re making as well as the challenges we still face in our everyday lives.

When I lived in Sweden, something known as “flygskam” started to gain traction. Direct translation: flight shaming. It’s a movement to encourage people to avoid flying and to take trains and other forms of transit that emit less CO2. Greta Thunberg is a great model of someone dedicating themselves to avoiding air travel, and she has certainly inspired others to do so.

The movement has made me think a lot about one of the most polluting behaviors I engage in, which is exactly that…flying overseas to see my loved ones. It’s not physically unavoidable. I could choose not to see them. It’s been a source of shame for me, but instead of letting that consume me, I have made a decision to pinpoint where I can have the most impact in my behavior and reframed my thinking so I don’t feel discouraged to do better in those arenas. It’s not all or nothing.

Sure, someone could call me a hypocrite, or I could even let the “flight shame” discourage me from remaining engaged with sustainability matters, but I don’t feel that we get far by solely latching onto the tactic of shaming. That’s not a get out of jail free card for behavior -and I’m a huge proponent of rail travel where possible-, but I think in general, we have to accept some nuance in what people are capable of and what they should be held accountable for.

To segue back to fashion, an industry with higher annual carbon emissions than air travel, the same feelings apply here. If you’re out there starting out on a slow fashion journey, remember that as I have said above: it isn’t all or nothing. You don’t need to throw out all your old Zara blazers and H&M dresses. (In fact, don’t, please!)

It’s about finding inspiration to do better. To take steps that suit things like your budget and your lifestyle, as you embrace a slower way of consuming fashion.

I hope to be a helpful resource on that path, one that motivates you and doesn’t leave you feeling ashamed.

XOXO,

Girl with a temporary Bigfoot tattoo (wrist)